Unlike English, Japanese conjugates nouns. Japanese congujation also mirrors the society's class driven structure. If someone is above or below you in station (or life), you speak to them using different verb forms.
Formal Forms
If someone is your boss, a year (or more) older, been at a job longer, or you just wanna be polite, you speak to them using the polite (also called formal; てえい) form.
| |
Positive |
Negative |
| Present |
~です |
~じゃありません |
| Past |
~でした |
~じゃありませんでした |
~です form is the present positive form.
だいがくです
Is/Are (a) university(s).
~じゃありません is the present negative form.
だいがくじゃありません
Is/Are not (a) university(s).
~でした is the past positive form.
だいがくでした
Was/Were (a) university(s).
~じゃありませんでした is the past negative form.
だいがくじゃありませんでした
Was/Were not (a) university(s).
Informal Forms
The Informal (ふつ) Forms Are for addressing people close to you, like friends, or people below you in station, like a work subordinate. These forms consist of ~だ, ~じゃない, ~だった, ~じゃなかった
| |
Positive |
Negative |
| Present |
~だ |
~じゃない |
| Past |
~だった |
~じゃなかった |
~だ form is the present positive form.
みせだ
Is/Are (a) store(s).
~じゃない is the present negative form.
みせじゃない
Is/Are not (a) store(s).
~だった is the past positive form.
みせだった
Was/Were (a) store(s).
~じゃなかった is the past negative form.
みせじゃなかった
Was/Were not (a) store(s).